Michigan
Penn State-Behrend
U-M Completes Perfect Weekend Against CWPA Foes
3/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Site: Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst North East Aquatic Center)
Event: CWPA League Tournament
Scores: #15 Michigan 8, Penn State-Behrend 3; #15 Michigan 14, Gannon 9;
#15 Michigan 13, Mercyhurst 7
Records: U-M (15-7, 6-0 CWPA)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 17 -- vs. Indiana (Canham Natatorium), 7:30 p.m.
ERIE, Pa. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team finished a perfect 6-0 at the CWPA League Tournament after winning three matches by a combined score of 35-19 on Sunday (March 5) on three different Erie, Pa., college campuses.
Kate Zondervan's (Jenison, Mich./Jenison) first two career goals and team-high four steals helped the Wolverines to an 8-3 win over Penn State-Behrend at the Junker Center. Shana Welch's (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming West Valley) four-goal effort then aided a 14-9 victory over Gannon, and her hat trick completed the undefeated weekend in a 13-7 triumph over Mercyhurst.
In the first game of the day, the Wolverines had three players score first career goals against Penn State-Behrend. Zondervan tallied her first career marker a minute into the game and followed with another goal just over a minute later, building a 2-0 lead. The Lions scored two quick goals near the end of the period as it ended 2-2.
Amy Cuckovich (Davis, Calif./Davis) netted the only goal of the second from the outside, and U-M went into the half up 3-2. Michigan broke it open in the third, outscoring the Lions 3-0. Christine Kurdys (Portage, Mich./Portage) earned her first career tally on a counterattack to end the third-period barrage, making it 6-2.
Meghan Loeser (San Diego, Calif./Patrick Henry) kept the first-career theme going with her first score one minute into the fourth from several meters out, and Sally Stone (San Diego, Calif./Bishop's) worked hard in the field to get the final goal of the game, making it 8-3 with 37 ticks remaining.
Against Gannon in the second contest of the afternoon, U-M stormed out of the gates to generate a 4-0 lead in the first three minutes. Four different Wolverines tallied goals before Gannon made it 4-2 to end the period.
Michigan answered with five goals to begin the second period as Welch tallied her second and third goals of the match for her fifth hat trick of the season, extending the Wolverines' lead to 9-2 entering the second half.
Sharayah Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho), who also had two assists and three steals, scored to open the half on an offensive run. After Gannon's third goal, Loeser rebounded with a score from several meters out to make it 11-3.
Gannon netted four straight to cut the lead to 11-7 to end the third and begin the fourth before Haley Mullins (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) and Mary Chatigny (Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) talled back-to-back markers on offensive counterattacks, increasing the advantage to 13-7. Welch scored her fourth goal of the game late in fourth quarter on a skip shot and Michigan walked away with a 14-9 victory.
In Michigan's final contest of the weekend, Welch tallied a hat trick in the first period to help the Wolverines to a 6-3 first-period lead against Mercyhurst at the Mercyhurst North East Aquatic Center. Welch's opening tally came on a 6-on-5 advantage. Kaitlin Prijatel (North Tustin, Calif./Foothill) began the second quarter by connecting on a four-meter penalty shot for her second goal of the game. Julie Hyrne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) followed with two half-court goals in the final three minutes to push the lead to 9-3 at the half.
The Maize and Blue kept the pressure on, this time in the two meter as Wesley Ellison (Portola Valley, Calif./Palo Alto) and Michelle Keeley (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) scored back-to-back out of the two meter to increase the lead to 11-3 to start the second half. Keeley netted her second with one minute remaining following two Mercyhurst tallies.
Hernandez finished off Mercyhurst College, scoring Michigan's lone fourth-quarter goal with 1:29 remaining in the game on a counterattack.
Michigan takes a week off before it hosts Indiana on Friday, March 17, at Canham Natatorium. The Wolverines will then host a nine-team home invitational the next two days (March 18-19).
GAME SUMMARIES
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Penn State-Behrend | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Kate Zondervan 2, Amy Cuckovich, Carrie Stover, Nicole Santarosa, Christine Kurdys, Meghan Loeser, Sally Stone. Penn State-Behrend: Brittany Yost 2, Kaitlyn Rinn. Ejections: U-M 3, PSB 0.
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| Gannon | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Shana Welch 4, Haley Mullins 2, Carrie Stover, Wesley Ellison, Kaitlin Prijatel, Megan Hausmann, Kelsey Haley, Sharayah Hernandez, Meghan Loeser, Mary Chatigny. Gannon Goals: Kat Bucceri 4, Katelyn Hansen 3, Nikki Hoffa, Val Adams. Ejections: U-M 3, GU 2.
| Game 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Michigan | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| Mercyhurst | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Scoring
Michigan Goals: Shana Welch 3, Kaitlin Prijatel 2, Julie Hyrne 2, Wesley Ellison 2, Michelle Keeley 2, Megan Hausmann, Sharayah Hernandez. Mercyhurst Goals: Cassie Rand 4, Tessa DiLoreto, Carrie Willison, Christine Somera. Ejections: U-M 3, MC 2.
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
